Don’t Gnash Your Teeth Over Shark Week, Shark Lovers. Like many in the marine conservation community, marine biologist David Shiffman is a little troubled by the tone of Shark Week, Discovery Channel’s weeklong collection of shark documentaries. The hyperbole and emphasis on shark attacks (which are rare) have led many to boycott the shows altogether. But Shiffman sees the increase in public interest as an opportunity to give us the real facts.

What Should Be the Official Animal of Los Angeles? The United States has the bald eagle, and California has the grizzly bear, but in Los Angeles, despite our vast wilderness terrains, we lack an official animal icon to call our own. So in advance of our upcoming event “Does L.A. Appreciate Its Wild Animals?” we asked locals share their nominations for a local mascot.

Surfboard Shaping Is Back, Dude. Dashel Pierson Plesa has been surfing not long after he learned to walk, but only recently did he shape his own board. And so he never learned the story of how the art of surfboard shaping recovered from a threat to its existence: Blank Monday, the day the surf foam ran out.

Does L.A. History Include Humans? For a city so rich in human history, Los Angeles lacks a coherent story about itself. Zócalo’s California editor Joe Mathews writes, “One curse of being from Los Angeles is being defined—lazily—by others.” So how can this flawed, diverse city of “losers” create its own coherent narrative?

Dance Legend Debbie Allen. Before talking about what it takes to succeed in the arts, choreographer, director, producer, actress, and dancer Debbie Allen spoke candidly about what she loves most about L.A., how many pairs of shoes she owns, and why she’d want to be a cat.

Next week …

Robert Sylvester on the geology of the Sepulveda Pass

Aaron Norvell on being a celebrity impersonator of Barack Obama